Mental Illness: Parents
(asked on 2nd November 2018) - View Source
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2018 to Question 182850 on Mental Illness: Parents, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of collecting (a) such information and (b) information on the effect of such circumstances on the welfare of the children of such patients.
The Government has not undertaken an assessment of the potential benefits of routinely collecting data about the parental responsibilities of anyone diagnosed with a mental health condition.
However, the Government does recognise that parental mental health problems can have an impact on the wellbeing of children within the family and statutory guidance published in July 2018: ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ acknowledges that children may be at greater risk of harm or need additional help in families where adults have mental health problems. The guidance is available at the following link:
The guidance makes clear that anyone who has any concerns about a child’s welfare should make a referral to local authority children’s social services. The guidance also makes clear that health practitioners should provide and co-ordinate any specific information regarding family health, including any mental health problems, to support the protection of children.